2,000 Round Challenge

[Pistol Pete 10]

Why would you treat a firearm this way.

[TheNewbie]

Why would you treat a firearm this way.

See the answer above you, and the answer on page 42 by Tom Jones.

[Cypher]

See the answer above you, and the answer on page 42 by Tom Jones.

Thanks. I didn't want to dig through 42 pages for an answer that might not be there

[arcfide]

And in some cases, what lube doesn't suck

I'm actually beginning to suspect that much of this test is more dependent on lube and ammo combinations than I would have originally thought. Unfortunately, that's a hard couple of variables to test against without a lot of hard work and lots of ammo. At any rate, during normal operation, it seems clear to me that it's really hard to find a "stand out" lube that is demonstrably better than others, but it's pretty easy to find some really bad lubes. Similarly, there seems to be some ammo that is just downright dirty in ways I didn't appreciate until I shot really clean ammo.

[Pistol Pete 10]

See the answer above you, and the answer on page 42 by Tom Jones.

I read page 42. This is like driving your car 50,000 miles without any maintenance just to see if it would operate without maintenance. At the least you'll cause accelerated wear due to dirt and grime buildup.

[JAD]

I read page 42. This is like driving your car 50,000 miles without any maintenance just to see if it would operate without maintenance. At the least you'll cause accelerated wear due to dirt and grime buildup.

Oh no. I would hate to wear out a gun.

[cornstalker]

I read page 42. This is like driving your car 50,000 miles without any maintenance just to see if it would operate without maintenance. At the least you'll cause accelerated wear due to dirt and grime buildup.

If you only expect your sidearm to last around 8000 rounds, then that is a legit comparison. I was kind of thinking my guns would be good for 50,000 to 90,000 rounds.
That is also assuming that you expect your vehicle to go 200k.

[cornstalker]

This is the 2000 Round Challenge results thread.

If you guys want to start a thread to discuss the the perceived merits of, or lack of, for the 2000 Round Challenge itself, please feel free. However, do not continue that discussion here. Thank you.

Got it, Boss. Sorry.

[1986s4]

Well alright then...

[Doc_Glock]

Pistol: Springfield Range Officer 9mm

Caliber: 9x19mm

Ammunition:
Magtech 115 grain
PPU NATO 124 grain.
PPU NATO 115 grain
S&B 124 grain
115 grain Brown Bear
115 grain Wolf Poly
115 grain Wolf Laquer
Fed AE 147 grain
147 grain Speer Lawman
Speer Lawman 124 grain
Speer Lawman 115 grain
115 grain Fiocchi
MEN 9B 124 grain
Federal HST 147 grain
Winchester Ranger T 124+p

Dates of Testing: 2018

Total Rounds Fired: 2,013

Stoppages: ~25FTLBE much reduced with 14# spring.
3 FTFEED 2/3 with 2nd round of ten round mag. 2/3 with 147 grain ammo.
3 stovepipes 2/3 Wilson/Vickers 10 round mag.

See comments.

Malfunctions: ammunition related blockage of firing pin hole. See comments.

Breakages: zero

I got this gun to learn the 1911. Initially I didn’t like it but it grew on me throughout the 2000 rounds.

It is an accurate and easy to shoot gun. The first 1000 rounds were with the stock 9# recoil spring, the second 1000 rounds were with a 14# variable spring.

There were a lot of stoppages primarily failures to lock back. They were much more common with the 9# spring and weaker ammo.

Stoppage breakdown by spring:

9# spring:
18+failures to lock back on empty,
1 FTFeed Wilson 10 round second round.

14# variable spring:
4 failures to lock back on empty
-3 FTLB Metalform
-1 FTLB Mecgar
One FTFEED 147 Lawman second round.
1 FTLB stovepipe last round unknown mag.
2 stovepipe Wilson/Vickers 10 round mag
Nose dive FTF 147 HST/ Mecgar 2nd round.
Eight light strikes ammo caused.





On my final range session, I grabbed a few boxes of the problematic PPU NATO 115 and 124 grain ammunition to get the round count up and burn the stuff up. Immediately I began to experience light strikes. This went on for 4-5 mags with the rounds firing with a second strike, then I went 100 rounds in about 2 minutes in frustration, just firing mag after mag until the stuff was gone. The gun was very dry and got quite hot, but no more stoppages. When I got home and disassembled the pistol, I found the firing pin hole obstructed by bits of primer and also noticed that the primers bulged in the cases. I am surprised this gun functioned at all and this is clearly ammo related. I can not recommend this ammunition in any way, shape or form except maybe for a PCC. It is over pressure.







Avoid this stuff.



Part of the fun of these tests for me is disassembling the gun at the end of them. The 1911 disassembles significantly differently from anything I have previously shot or worked on. Fortunately, it is a very clever design and easy to disassemble if you know a few tricks. Thank you YouTube. I would rate it as slightly harder than a Glock to get into this condition, but much easier than an HK, Sig or Beretta.



After oiling, the action significantly smoothed out and the trigger now breaks right at 5lbs. I am going to work with it some more in a lubricated, broken in state with known good ammunition as I don't think the results of this test represent the true potential of the pistol.

Overall, I rate it as a keeper and a good example of the breed. I think stoppages could be minimized by being selective with magazines, and ammunition, and keeping it well lubricated.